30 Minutes
by sansarae.jones
Summary: When John and Dave are the only players left in the game, will it be enough to win? Or will they die at the hands of their greatest enemy?


_Out of sight_

_Out of mind_

_Out of time_

_To decide_

You're running. You don't know where to, you can't run anymore. Not when he's already there. God he is _always _already there. You feel a weight on your hand and remember John behind you. You two are the only ones left. Rose had died protecting Kanaya, Jade from a stab wound to the chest after she tried to attack you guys. Fucking Condesce, it's all her fault; she took over Jade and Jane. The Alpha kids had all died fighting each other, Dirk dying in your arms after Jane had collapsed to the ground, bleeding out everywhere in that overpowering-.

No, you need to focus.

_Do we run?_

_Should I hide?_

_For the rest _

_Of my life?_

Of course none of the trolls accept Aradia were god tier. You don't know what happened to her, but you can guess that the flash of white killed her for good. God knows where Gamzee is. John is crying. You need to run. But where? You need to fight. But how?

_Can we fly?  
Do I stay?  
We could lose  
We could fail_

In the moment  
It takes  
To make plans  
Or mistakes 

You blink and he's in front of you. John screams and you hold out an arm in front of him protectively. You should've known it was going to end this way. Because how can you run from something that is already there? You just have to last a little longer...

_30 minutes, a blink of an eye  
30 minutes, to alter our lives  
30 minutes, to make up my mind  
30 minutes, to finally decide _

You take a step forward, clenching your jaw in an effort to keep from shaking. He's laughing at you. Oh God why is he laughing. John screams your name, but you can't turn back now, you need to do this. You have to at least try. For him.

You charge forward, brandishing your broken sword. You don't want to die. You've died more than anyone in this game, you've died so fucking much. You flash step around him, taking a swing at the back of his neck. He grabs the blade before it can enter his flesh and yanks you over his head, throwing you. You stop time and charge at him again, but he is ready for you. He smacks you with his scepter and you go flying again. You wonder why he's taking so long to kill you, you can't win. He's probably just playing with you. You dive, aiming for his peg leg. He isn't expecting this and you manage to sever it, causing him to fall over.

He lets out an earsplitting roar and you fall to the ground, clutching your head. One glance to your right tells you John is doing the same. You try to get up, using your sword to steady yourself as you get ready for a third attempt. John is shouting something at you but you can't hear it over him. It's now or never, he's down, you can either take him out or run.

_Should we run?_

_Do I stay?_

_We could lose_

_We could fail_

_Either way_

_Options change_

_Chances fail_

_Trains derail_

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. You hear every second go by in your head as you make up your mind, walking towards the hulking green mass with your sword leveled at his chest. John is crying for you to turn and run while you can. You can't, you need to defeat him. That's your only chance for survival; John's only chance. Like hell you'll make it out of this okay. You charge.

_To decide_

_To decide_

_To decide_

_To decide_

Your sword pierces his skull just as you feel your chest rip open. You look down and see his arm shoved through your gut, blood spilling over everything. You collapse to the ground and John calls your name. You smile to yourself, mentally checking the time.

_To Decide_

You wake up in a white room, tubes in your arms and a sleeping John holding your hand. _Oh thank god, he's okay. _He stirs at your side and looks up, fully awake once he realizes your eyes are open. He runs out of the room and within a minute he comes back followed by nurses and doctors who do vital checks and retinal tests and give you meds. Once they finally leave, you look over at John smiling.

"Hey John." He looks over at you with a smile on his face, tears brimming his eyes.

"Y-yeah?"

"That only took 30 minutes." He laughs and his tears spill over as he hugs you gently. Yeah, he's safe.


End file.
